Talk:Fetch (game)

Imaginary fetch
I recently saw a child and a dog playing imaginary fetch, where the child only mimed throwing something. It reminded me that I used to do this too with a friend's dog. 80.0.100.238 (talk) 21:07, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

I don't know how, but this should link to http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apportieren in the German wiki. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.233.228.35 (talk) 23:54, 22 January 2009 (UTC)

Paragraph or section on why dogs play fetch?
Something that seems to be missing from the article that I'd have been interested in reading about is why dogs play fetch in the first place (aside from just "they think it's fun".) For instance, do all dog breeds like to play fetch instinctively? At what stage of development do dogs show an interest in playing fetch? Will dogs who haven't been trained to play fetch instinctively start playing it if you toss a ball or toy around? And is there a researched evolutionary reason for dogs learning to play fetch (eg maybe dogs have been trained for thousands of years to fetch prey for hunters so the trait is now ingrained.)

And on a related note, what species other than dogs like to play fetch? Will some species of cats or birds play fetch, and if so how much training does it require if any? Is falconry a related activity, for example?

It seems likely to me that there are some reliable sources out there to answer some of the questions I mentioned, but personally I'm not in a position to research it. But if anybody else is looking to improve the article, those topics might be something to consider finding sourced answers for. 63.95.36.13 (talk) 21:43, 10 August 2009 (UTC)


 * Some housecats will play fetch. Most won't.  I don't think it's related to the breed of cat, just individual personalities. 216.59.225.251 (talk) 22:54, 2 December 2009 (UTC)

The think it's fun is about as good an answer as you'll find I'm afraid. Evolutionary explanations are still arguments over dogma/philosophy/politic. You won't find anything other than restatement of your question in hyperbolic terms.


 * Still, the topic seems kind of relevant. So if the experts or such really don't know why dogs fetch, then maybe it should say that in the article. --31.45.79.44 (talk) 22:42, 27 February 2012 (UTC)

Cats playing fetch
Is there a reason cats are not mentioned in this. I know that cats also play fetch. At least I know one cat that plays fetch. Even though it's not as common among cats I think it should still be mentioned. Noah Tall (talk) 18:43, 1 May 2015 (UTC)